harshaw wrote:Well, by having these poles & wires above ground these will be the first things that fail when we have trees fall on the right of way. And after last year, we can guarantee that will happen.

They actually have been aggressively clearing trees along the right of way in many places. It's quite surprising how far they are going, even to the top of slopes in cut areas. Which is the right thing to do to maintain the ROW.

That's great. But you know, trees grow, especially towards sunlight. If you really want to protect lines you burying them. Our electrical infrastructure is so error prone in New England because of above ground lines.

On a right of way with a straight and clear access , using trenching equipment seems like an obvious way to avoid future maintenance.

Trenching works well unless you are dealing with rocky ground,MBTA figured out that pole lines were cheaper to do then trenching,due to rocksand plenty of unmarked underground utility lines crossing the ROW.

And when there is a problem, above ground lines are restored much more quickly. A tree coming down on a line can be rectified and repaired within a couple hours. Railroads have had above ground communication lines since the 1800s, it's not that big of a deal.

The problem, mentioned earlier or elsewhere, is the wifi project is using underground conduit and the PTC project is using poles and they are being done at about the same time, with no economy of scale.

In my recent visits to CPF-333 and the Wachusett T station (Pan Am owned track), I have not seen yet any fiber-optic cable pole or wayside transponder installation happening, unlike on the balance of the Fitchburg line on MBTA-owned track. Anyone know the status of PTC HW installation on the Fitchburg to Westminster segment of T operations?

neman2 wrote:Where are they installing underground conduit for wifi? I thought the wifi project was suspended because of objections from abutters to the installation of 70 foot monopoles needed to make it work.

Does anyone know why MBTA is bustituting during weekends on the Lowell Line? All the "T" would say is that they are running PTC test trains. I don't understand why that would interfere with scheduled operations.Andy

twropr wrote:Does anyone know why MBTA is bustituting during weekends on the Lowell Line? All the "T" would say is that they are running PTC test trains. I don't understand why that would interfere with scheduled operations.Andy

Giving a test train free run of the tracks allows it to do what/where/when it wants. It is the most efficient use of a test train. It also allows adjustments to the system to be made unimpeded if problems are found during testing. If the test train had to work around scheduled service they'd sit idle if the desired test operation was in conflict with scheduled service. With a deadline looming at the end of the year they're probably just trying to expedite the testing as best possible. Getting those few extra tests in every day adds up over time.

The GLX project is also performing work at the same time in a lot of cases.

twropr wrote:Does anyone know why MBTA is bustituting during weekends on the Lowell Line? All the "T" would say is that they are running PTC test trains. I don't understand why that would interfere with scheduled operations.Andy

Giving a test train free run of the tracks allows it to do what/where/when it wants. It is the most efficient use of a test train. It also allows adjustments to the system to be made unimpeded if problems are found during testing. If the test train had to work around scheduled service they'd sit idle if the desired test operation was in conflict with scheduled service. With a deadline looming at the end of the year they're probably just trying to expedite the testing as best possible. Getting those few extra tests in every day adds up over time.

The GLX project is also performing work at the same time in a lot of cases.

Yeah. The T is trying to get as much in as they can with the shutdowns. I bet the wifi project would have been taking advantage of this too had it not been for the 70ft monopole problem.